


Far Away

by BeatleChick



Category: British Actor RPF, Original Work
Genre: Acceptance, Angst, Anxiety, F/M, Fluff, Love, Sex, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-16
Updated: 2017-06-20
Packaged: 2018-11-14 17:00:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11212353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeatleChick/pseuds/BeatleChick
Summary: Erik Lehnsherr has made a life living in the country side of Norway where no one would recognize his unnatural abilities.  His self made isolation is suddenly pushed when an unknown woman moves into the farm down the lane from his.





	1. Chapter 1

Finally getting off the train in Bergen, Charlotte was able to stretch her arms and back and she took a deep breath of the crisp Norwegian air she remembered every summer growing up. She gathered up her large suitcase and adjusted her backpack before heading over to the station and then through to the sidewalk outside of the large brick building. Turning and looking over the cars in the lot, she was able to spot her Aunt’s neighbor and longtime friend, Maretta, waiting for her. Smiling and walking faster, Charlie went to greet the older woman.

“Oh Charlie,” Maretta said as she gathered her into a tight hug, “It’s been so long since I have seen you. This is very kind of you to help your aunt.” 

“It’s really no trouble, and it’s been so long since I’ve stayed on the farm.” Charlie replied as she threw her suitcase in the back of the car and then opened the passenger door to get in. Once they were driving out of the city she turned to look at the other woman. “How has Auntie Madge been? She seemed great when I left her in London?”

“She’s fine as ever, you know how she is. Takes care of everyone and everything, but she is very happy.” Maretta said with a smile. 

The two women then fell into an easy conversational style as they caught each other up on any new events in their lives and how their families were. As the hours past they drove deeper into the country until Maretta pulled down a small dirt lane that led to a black farm house surrounded by a stable and a few other smaller buildings that made up Charlie’s Auntie Madge’s farm. Maretta pulled to a stop and turned the car off as she and Charlie climbed out. 

“Are you going to be alright? Remembering how to run the place?” Maretta asked with a small laugh.

“I’ll be fine. It’s only a few goats and chickens.” Charlie said as she tossed her bags onto the porch. “If I get in real trouble I’ll come and bother you. Thank you again for coming to pick me up. I’ll see you in a few days after I get settled.” 

Charlie gave Maretta a hug and watched from the front porch as she drove away, back down the lane to the little highway. With a sigh Charlie turned and unlocked the front door to the little house that would be her home for the next few weeks.

… 

The next few days were absolute bliss for Charlie.

She woke up early to milk the handful of goats that her Aunt had, and then she let them out into the pasture to graze for the day. Then she feed the chickens and gathered up any eggs that had been left. Finally, she milked the one dairy cow, Dolores, before sending her out into the field with the goats. After taking care of the milk, and separating a portion to make cheese later in the day, the day was hers. 

A good deal of the day was spent laying outside in one of the lounge chairs and reading either one of the many books that filled Charlie’s suitcase or one of the books that lined Auntie’s Madge’s walls. Her evenings were spent bringing in the animals and making sure everyone was well settled in for the night, before settling herself in front of the cozy fireplace in the living room. And of course it went without saying that all of these little rituals were accompanied by Auntie’s dog Sindri, a ridgeback hound that was small for his size but fiercely loyal.

After a week of peaceful weather and animals, Charlie wasn’t surprised to find a summer storm due the next morning and she tightened the windows and doors in preparation. When she tried to fasten the lock to the basement door outside the house she was met with a sharp resistance and then air. With a loud slam that made her teeth clatter, the hinges snapped on the right door and first one and then the other door smashed down the basements steps and settled with a thick cloud of dust wafting up to smother her.

“Damnit.” She said with a clenched jaw as she surveyed the damage. The hinges left on the edge of the door frame appeared to have been rusted through. 

Finally cursing the door and slamming into the house, she went down into the basement and wrangled a tarp over the opening as best she could. It looked as though she would be going into town tomorrow after all.

… 

Finally arriving in the small sleepy town nearest the farm, Charlie was tired and not looking forward to the bad news she expected to hear when she asked about repairing the doors. She parked her car in front of the local hardware store and trudged through the puddles and shook off her raincoat before stepping inside the warm, dry interior of the shop. She took the hood from her head and looked up to see the owner smiling at her. 

“Hello Jan, it’s been a long time!” Charlie said with a smile and rushed to give the older man a hug hello. 

“Charlie, you are old enough to drive a car now?” Jan asked her as he gave her a frown and looked outside at her Aunt’s car sitting in the street. 

“I was old enough the last time I was here, it hasn’t been that long.” She teased right back. “How have things been?” 

“Good, good, not much changes in this part of the world.” 

“That’s good to hear. I’ve missed it here.” She replied with a small grin on her lips, and then she frowned as she asked her next question. “Jan, I’ve had the hinges break on the doors to the basement. Do you know where I can order some new ones that will fit?” She ran her hand through her hair in frustration, “and someone who will come install the new doors I guess.” 

He looked at her for a moment in hesitation before shrugging and nodding his head towards the back of the store. Charlie turned to look where he was pointing and saw a tall man gathering up some painting supplies. 

“That’s a job for Lensherr.” He said with no emotion. 

He then called out something to the man in question who turned to answer with a look of his own. Jan called out a few sentences in Norse and then waited for the response. After a moment the man looked at Charlie, then turned to Jan and replied in a short tone. Jan nodded in agreement and then he and Charlie watched as the man gathered up his items and walked briskly out of the store without another look at either of them.

“He will be there tomorrow.” Jan said with a shrug and went to the counter to make some notes in his ledger.

“Who is he?” Charlie asked exasperatedly. “What time will he be there? How much do I need to pay him? Does he know where I live?” 

“He will be there.” 

And there was no getting a straight answer from the man. With a sigh of irritation she thanked Jan and drove back to her house.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning Charlie was met with loud slamming knocks on her front door. The girl groaned and rolled to look at the clock on her phone, four in the morning, who could that possibly be? She climbed out of the bed and pulled a robe over the shorts and tank top she wore to sleep in, and ran her fingers through her messy hair as she stumbled down the stairs to the front door. Peering out the small window she recognized the man from the hardware store, Jan had called him Lensherr if she remembered right.

"Hello?” She asked sleepily once she’d pulled the door open.

“I’m here to fix the downstairs door.” He said matter of factly.

“It’s four in the morning.” She answered with a yawn behind her hand.

“Your goats are awake, they need to be tended to.” He said and he walked away to the back of the house.

“God damnit.” She muttered as she stuffed her feet into her Wellies and stomped after him. “Why are you here so early?” She called at the man’s plaid clothed back.

He didn’t answer, only continued to stride around the house until he came to the open basement door frame. He crouched down and examined the broken hinges with his fingers and then looked down at the doors resting at the bottom of the stairs. After a few moments he stood up tall and turned to look down at her.

“I will have this done by sundown.” And with that he walked back to his truck sitting in her driveway.

Charlie stood there and watched him walk away. Finally she shook her head and headed back into the house for a quick shower and to get dressed.

A few hours later after leading Dolores into the field, Charlie walked by the back of the house to the shed to see that Lehnsherr? (she still hadn’t been able to find out if that was truly his name) had brought both doors up from the basement and was securing new hinges to the edges. 

“Would you like some lunch?” She asked him as he worked. He continued adjusting the metal edging but didn’t look up to acknowledge her question. “I’m sorry, I don’t actually know your name…” 

Another minute went by and after he refused to answer or look at her, Charlie walked away to leave him be. By the time she went back out to collect the animals from the pasture she noticed that the truck was no longer in her driveway and upon checking, the doors to the basement were now completely repaired. The man hadn’t left a single tool, nail, or even a note behind to show that he had spent the majority of his day on her property.

…

The next day Charlie called Maretta to try to get her to explain the mysterious handyman she had met. After hanging up with the woman she was even more confused. All she could get out of her was that he was an English, like herself, who had moved into the empty farm property at the end of her Aunt’s lane. Maretta, the woman who knew everyone and everything about them, seemed reluctant to give her any information about him and even seemed angry with Jan for suggesting the handyman to help out in the first place.

Pacing the floor in aggravation, the young woman finally came to a decision, if the mystery man wasn’t going to charge her for the work he had done, the least she could do was leave him some of the extra supplies she had from her Auntie’s farm. So she gathered up a basket with a jug of milk, fresh butter and some of the goat cheese she had made last week. Throwing on her coat and hat she headed down the lane and past the small highway to the once abandoned property. A few minutes later she found the house and outer buildings had all been repaired since she’d last seen them and a few lights were on in the main house. She climbed up onto the porch and gently laid the basket on the doorstep before she turned around and headed back to her own cozy little house.

…

Every night Charlie made the same trek to the other man’s farm. She would bring small loaves of bread that she had baked, or fresh eggs from the chickens, but every night the basket was full. There was too much food for her to possibly eat on her own, and she figured it was the least she could do for someone who had helped so much without even a word about the time or the money it cost.

After a week or so of these nightly trips, the woman found that the heavy, stiff latches to the big barn doors were easy to slide up and close. And small tears in the wire fences were mending themselves without her pulling out the wire wheel and pliers to fix it herself. Eventually she put it down to coincidence and continued her easy summer routine without much change.

That is until Friday night that she came back from closing up the animals in the barn and found her own repair man standing on her porch with a furious look across his face.

“Just what do you think you are doing?” He practically growled at her.

“What are you talking about?”

“This!” He shook the bottle of milk she had left the night before. “Why are you doing this?”

“You helped me but I couldn’t pay you for your work.” She shrugged, “it was just something small to say thank you.”

He stomped down the stairs towards her and stood looking down over her small frame. “I don’t need your help. I need to be left alone.” He snarled and threw the bottle at the porch stairs. 

It shattered into pieces and Charlie felt the milk splash up onto the legs of her pants. She stood frozen as she watched the man stomp off down the road away from her. Then she carefully stepped over the glass and walked into her house.

That night, and the night after that, Charlie didn’t bother to carry anymore groceries to the other farm at the end of the lane. She wasn’t one to push where she wasn’t wanted, and she was fine with her own company. On Tuesday morning, however, when she pushed open the door to attend to the animals, she found one of her milk bottles sitting on the steps half full of water and a bouquet of wild flowers. 

Taking them inside and placing them in the center of her little dining table, she recognized the bottle as one of the many she had given to the man who had helped fix her doors. Brushing off any deeper meaning she might have read into the gesture, she went about her daily routine as though nothing had happened. Yet every time she wandered by the kitchen she stopped to smile at the bright flowers decorating her table.

The next morning there was another glass jar that she had lent, and it was full of small daisies and moss. This tradition continued until one morning Charlie woke to find nothing, and she realized that all of the containers she had delivered had been returned. And she went about her tasks and tried to ignore the sadness that had started to build in her heart.

One Saturday night she decided to walk around the property, it was a late summer night with a long sun and a cool breeze, the perfect opportunity to relax and think. When she started to near her house she saw the outline of a man standing in the field near her home. As she got closer she realized that it was her mysterious man, whose name she had still not learned.

“Hello.” She called out to him softly, trying to not startle him since he hadn’t looked around when she started to get closer.

He turned with a start none the less, and gave her a sharp look. “What are you doing out so late?”

“It’s a nice night.” She answered with a shrug. “What are you doing here?”

He stared at her for a moment with a frown between his brows before answering, “I’m sorry about breaking your bottle. That was uncalled for.”

“It’s alright.” She casually replied.

“What are you doing here?” He asked her.

“What do you mean?”

“What are you doing here? You don’t live here.”

“Oh,” Charlie realized what he meant, “My Aunt is taking a few weeks in London so I said I would come take care of the place while she was away.”

“Of course.” He said with a scornful laugh and ran his hand through his hair. 

Then he turned and closed the distance between the two of them quickly. His right hand closed around her hip and his left hand wrapped around the back of her neck, his thumb slid along her jaw as he tilted her face up to meet his. And before she could take a breath his lips were on hers in a forceful kiss. After a moment Charlie’s eyes closed and she moved her lips to match his own and she reached her arms up to touch him, and in the same instant she felt him jolt away from her.

Blinking rapidly she watched as he roughly rubbed his hand down his face and then turned and walked away from her towards his own house. She stood there watching his figure get smaller and smaller until the goosebumps were from the chilly air and not the kiss.


	3. Chapter 3

Erik found himself watching the woman at the end of his lane every evening as she brought her animals in and then as she walked around her little house doing her evening chores. Who was this strange woman who didn’t ask him too many questions and let him do things the way he wanted them done?

When he started waking to fresh groceries every morning he started to get more and more irritated. He didn’t need anyone paying attention to him. The entire town was frightened of him and let him be. Why wouldn’t this woman listen to everyone else and stay away? Finally he had had enough and lost his temper at her. As he walked back home his right hand clenched into a fist and relaxed over and over, reliving the small violent act of smashing the glass bottle on her porch steps.

He was perfectly fine living on his own, having no connections and barely knowing the few people in this small, old town. Then suddenly there is this small woman who comes to town to shake his dependable world to hell. Erik spent the weekend angry at himself, angry at the town and especially furious at the little woman down the lane who simply would not listen to reason.

Finally he couldn’t help himself and gathered together every single glass container she had left on his doorstep. Then, bright and early the following few mornings he would find some flowers to leave for her. If she knew they were from him or not it wouldn’t matter, but at least this small act could ease his conscience, and possibly make her smile. 

After all the jars were gonna Erik couldn’t think of a reason for him to go see the girl. And then one evening he found himself standing outside of her house hoping to catch a glimpse of her walking through her kitchen or sitting in her warm sitting room, but he hadn’t seen any movement. 

“Hello.” 

He spun on the spot to see the very woman he had been searching for standing behind him. She had one of the sweetest faces he had seen in a very long time. He tried asking her questions to find out how she had found herself encroaching on his life, and he found her to be a beautiful coincidence that he didn’t want to fight any longer.

With a sigh to himself he grabbed her body to his and finally met those delightfully pink lips with his own. Erik held back a moan but he couldn’t stop the small shiver that went down his back at the happiness he felt to finally have her wrapped in his arms. And in the same instance he seemed to remember why he had placed himself in this solitary lifestyle and he broke the kiss immediately. Scrubbing his face in irritation he strode back to his house.

…

The next night, and the night after Erik found himself on the girl’s property just watching her. One of these nights he was watching her walk back and forth in the kitchen until she suddenly walked out the door and right up to where he was standing.

“Come inside.” She said without preamble and then turned around and walked back into the kitchen.

He hesitated for a moment and then quietly followed her in and closed the door behind him. He stood awkwardly in the doorway until the woman gestured for him to take a seat at the little table near where she was standing at the stove.

“Charlie.” The girl said suddenly, when she saw the question in his eyes she smiled. “My name is Charlie, short for Charlotte. In case you were wondering.”

And then he watched as she went back to stirring something she had in a pot on the stove. Who was this woman who acted as though his silent and angry demeanor didn’t upset her at all. He didn’t know how to handle this.

He looked down at his hands on the table and cleared his throat. “Er...Erik.” He sputtered out in a gruff manner.

“Erik.” He heard her murmur quietly to herself at the stove.

Erik sat in silence and watched this girl, Charlie, go to the cabinet and pull down two bowls, then carefully ladle a bit of soup into each one before she brought them over to the table. She placed one in front of him and the other in front of an empty seat that she then sat down and picked up a spoon. She began eating without saying anything to Erik; eventually he picked up his own spoon and tried some of the food she’d made for him. It was delicious; he couldn’t remember the last time someone had made him dinner.

They sat quietly at the table, the silence only broken by the clink of the spoons against the bowl or the rustle of clothing when one of them reached for a piece of bread from the plate in the center. When they were both finished Charlie stood up and picked up both bowls and put them in the sink. Erik watched her back in confusion and then got out of his seat and headed to the back door.

“Good night.” Charlie called out to him without turning around.

He hesitated with his hand on the door knob and then opened the door and headed out into the night.

… 

Erik found himself walking to Charlie’s house every night around suppertime in the hopes that he would spend the evening in her company. Each time he would find her kitchen door open and enough food for the two of them to share. They barely said more than a handful of words but Erik seemed to soak up the company. 

One such evening he came in through the door and closed it gently behind him.

“Hello.” He rumbled out in his deep, quiet voice. 

“Hi.” Charlie said in response as she pulled a baking dish from the stove.

“I...uh...I brought something for after.” He said as he met her at the counter and he placed a bakery box near her elbow.

“Oh that was nice of you, I rarely have something sweet after dinner.” She said with a smile as she went about dishing up some of the pasta she’d made.

“Oh, I didn’t know. We don’t have to eat it.” He said with a shrug and tried to look as though he didn’t care.

Charlie looked at him with a sweet smile on her face and she walked over to where he stood leaning against the sink. She raised her hand and slowly placed it on his cheek. 

“I meant that I rarely get the treat. I’m looking forward to such a nice surprise.” She said and then walked back to the plates of pasta. 

The two of them ate their dinner in their usual silence and once it was finished Charlie stood and brought the plates to the sink. A few moments later she brought the bakery box, a dinner plate and a knife. Erik raised his eyebrow in question but didn’t say anything. Then he watched as Charlie picked out the different pastries and placed them on the plate and then cut them down the middle. Once she was done she picked up one of the halves and took a bite; the moan she let out made Erik’s thigh muscles tighten but he didn’t say a word, only joined her by picking up one of the other halves to try.

Minutes passed as they enjoyed the sweet baked goods and then the two of them reached their fill. When Charlie made to get back up Erik placed his large hand over one of her own to stop her. He felt her turn to look at him and he removed his hand from hers and turned his body to face her. He reached down to grab her chair leg and he pulled her chair, with her in it, to rest between his spread legs. 

Charlie didn’t say a thing, just looked up at him with her big green eyes. Erik met her look with his own and then reached out to run both of his large hands over her cheeks and then into her soft brown hair. After a blink or two Erik lowered his lips to meet hers. 

This kiss was softer than the first one, slower and more drawn out. Erik kissed her top lip and then her lower lip between his own, then he lightly drew his tongue along the seam of her lips. When he felt Charlie’s tongue come to meet his own he let out an involuntary moan, and wrapped his right arm around her back to pull her to his chest. At the same time Charlie’s hands found their way to his shirt front, that she gathered into her fists.

When they both were desperate for breath he pulled away but not far. He peppered light kisses on her lips, cheeks, forehead and even her closed eyelids. Finally he just held her to him and breathed in the sent of her hair. 

When he pulled back to look at Charlie’s face her eyes were closed and her lips were pushed open. A moment later her eyelashes fluttered open and she smiled at him with a warm look. She pushed back to stand up and Erik fought her at first but then let her do as she wished; she raised up to her feet but didn’t move from between his legs. Then she pulled slightly on his hand and he rose to his feet as well. 

Charlie rose onto her tiptoes and kissed Erik lightly on the lips and then moved away from him. She gathered up the leftover pastries and packaged it to keep overnight. Then she moved to stand up against the front of the large man in her kitchen. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him as deeply and passionately as she was able. When she pulled back Erik yanked her up into his arms and started moving towards the upstairs, Charlie laughed and directed him to the door of her bedroom.


	4. Chapter 4

Charlie woke up in the middle of the night with sore muscles and a smile on her face. She had unwrapped herself from the sheets so she pulled them up over her naked chest and turned over to lay against Erik’s strong, solid body. When she reached over the bed was empty and cold, and she felt the chill continue onto her skin and into her heart. 

But she gathered up her courage and sat up on her side of the bed. She pulled on her robe and went down stairs to check the rest of the house. Slowly, sleepily and with a breaking heart she walked from room to room until she knew that Erik had truly left her. Finally she went back to her bed to try to sleep for the rest of the night.

…

The woman would never admit it but her heart waited every moment of the next few days for any sort of message from Erik, and every day that went by she closed her heart off for her own protection.

One of the days she was standing at her post box retrieving her letters and she saw Erik drive out from his lane. He didn’t give her a single passing glance as he continued along the road into town. Charlie understood then that she didn’t need to wait any longer for him to come and see her.

The next day her cousin called to say that he had finished his class work earlier than expected and would be traveling down to stay at the farm. Charlie told him this was excellent timing since she was needed back in London and she would switch with him at the train station when he arrived. Charlie arranged her flight and her train ticket to coincide with her cousin's arrival and then packed up her few belongings.

…

Almost six months later Charlie found herself back in Bergen for part of the holidays. Her Auntie picked her up at the train station and brought her, enthusiastically, back to her farm.

“Everyone loved that you stayed here,” Madge said warmly, “They have missed you over the years.”

“Oh I had such an amazing time, I’m so glad I was able to come and stay.”

“No one gave you any trouble?”

“No of course not.” Charlie said with a grin and relaxed back into her seat for the ride to the farm.

After settling in Charlie went into the kitchen to help her Aunt finish all the baking she had been working on for the holiday parties. There were tins of homemade cinnamon rolls covering one of the counters, while the table was groaning under platters of cookies, brownies and chocolate pieces. The women visited with each other and laughed while they packaged up all the goodies that they were bringing to the party at the next farm over.

“Did you ever meet Erik?” Aunt Madge asked nonchalantly.

“You know I did.” Charlie told her with a roll of her eyes. “I told you that he came over to fix those blasted basement doors of yours.”

“Oh yes, that’s right.”

“Why?” She asked her suspiciously.

“He asked about you the other day.”

“What? Why?”

“He just said that you seemed to enjoy staying on the farm and if you come to visit often.” Madge said with a shrug of her shoulders as she walked from the fridge with some frosting she had made. “He’s lived here for a few years and no one in the village really saw much of him. But since I’ve been back he drives into town quite regularly.”

“Mmm.” Charlie answered, “well maybe he’s more comfortable now with everyone.”

“Maybe.” Her Aunt agreed as she turned to hide the little smile from her niece.

…

The party was small but very nice. Charlie sat on one of the sofas with a glass of wine and visited with the different people who lived in the little area. She liked these people who had known her since she was a little girl coming to play at her Auntie’s country farm. They had only been at the house for an hour or so and people still seemed to be stopping by or heading back off to their own homes for the evening.

Charlie had been feeling someone watching her for some time but she had been in the middle of a conversation with an old woman who had recently moved her to live with her son. When she was able, she looked over her shoulder and saw Erik standing in the door frame with his eyes locked on her. His expression was unreadable but she could see the tension in his shoulders. Was he angry that she was here? Finally she couldn’t take it anymore and turned back to the woman so she could excuse herself to the kitchen.

Charlie found her aunt and said that she was going to walk home, the weather was cold but it hadn’t snowed today so the skies were clear. She gathered up her heavy coat, wrapped a thick scarf around her neck and pulled her hat on. She had not made it far down the lane before she heard the snow crunching behind her as someone caught up. Charlie took a deep breath and turned around to see Erik coming towards her.

“You left.” He said to her without preamble.

“So did you.” She said as she squared her shoulders. She watched him warily as he pulled off his hat and roughly ran his fingers through his hair.

“That night,” he paused and looked around before looking back at her. “It should not have happened.”

“Fine.” Charlie said bravely, trying to ignore the splinters of pain in her heart. “Good night Erik.” And she turned around to continue on her way, she barely made it a few steps before he grabbed her arm. She yanked it out of his touch and glared at him. 

“What do you want from me?” She cried out. “You regret the few hours we spent together so I left. You tell me again that you regret me so I’m trying to go and you stop me.”

“I don’t regret you,” he said quietly. “I am sorry I hurt you Charlie.” They stood in silence for a few moments before he gave the girl a weak smile. “I have missed you.”

“You never came back.” Charlie said in a small voice. “I waited but you never came.”

“There are things about me,” he blew out a breath in frustration and looked down at her. “You’re cold, I should let you get home.”

“I would like you to talk to me,” she insisted. “Tell me what you want to say to me.”

He looked down at her with a frown on his face but his eyes were wary, suspicious. Suddenly Charlie put her gloved hand in his own and gave him a slight pull.

“Bring me to your house.” 

So Erik gripped her fingers tightly and led her down the lane and back to his home.


	5. Chapter 5

They both stomped the snow from their boots onto the porch before Erik pulled the door open for Charlie to walk into the house. The house was warmly furnished but had few decorations. There were, however, several tall bookshelves filled to capacity against many of the walls. Erik took her coat and carefully unwound the scarf from around her throat; after he pulled off her hat he smoothed her hair gently. After roughly removing his own outer layers he stared at Charlie as though unsure of what to do next.

“Why don’t we talk in the kitchen?” She said with a smile.

He grinned back at her and led her to the kitchen at the back of the house. In this room they were familiar with each other. He started to make some coffee and once two cups were brewed he carried them carefully back to the table and the girl waiting for him. After a few sips Charlie set her cup down and looked at him.

“Why didn’t you come back?” She asked him tentatively.

He paused and then cleared his throat. “I was ashamed.” He looked down at the table, “I shouldn’t have left in the middle of the night, that was cowardly.”

“Why did you leave?”

“Because I shouldn’t be with you. I’m not the man you think I am.” He slammed his fist on the table and Charlie jumped in shock. “I’ve lived my whole life with nothing but acquantances, no one to love or lose. This has worked for me, and then suddenly here you are with your kind smiles and your fucking baskets of gifts. I just wanted to be left alone and now I couldn’t spend more than one day without a glimpse of you.”

Charlie didn’t understand what he was trying to tell her but there was no way she going to intruppt him; this was the most she had ever heard him say.

“And you just let me be. Cooking dinner for us, eating in silence, you didn’t push me. I didn’t know what to feel about that level of simple acceptance.” He lowered his head, “no one has ever accepted me for what I am.”

After a moment Charlie reached her fingers across the table to brush the back of his hand.

“Erik I don’t understand.”

“There’s something wrong with me, has been since I was born.” He looked up at her suddenly, as though waiting for her to do something.

“What’s wrong?”

“Do you want me to show you? Because I will.” He glared at her in a challenging manner, but when he didn’t see any change in her eyes he relaxed in a defeated way. “Do you have a coin?”

“A coin? No I didn’t bring any money.”

“No matter, I can fetch one.” And he raised his right and pointed it towards the living room, a second latter a blur rushed into his hand. He unfurled his fingers and showed her the coin sitting in his palm.

“How did you do that?” Charlie breathed out.

Erik examined her face again for mistrust or fear and only found a light fascination.

“It’s something I do.” He said with a shrug. He continued to hold his hand open and he raised the coin several inches in the air and then set it spinning.

“Is it magic?” The girl asked, unconsciencly reaching her fingers towards the spinning coin.

“No.” He said and the coin fell back limply in his hand. “Here, take it.” And he watched as she carefully pulled the coin from his hand and brought it to her eyes so she could look closely at the markings. 

“Hold it in your hands, cup them together as though you are holding a butterfly.” He instructed, once she did he gently spun the coin between her hands. She gasped and dropped her hands away but the coin remained in the air.

“You can move things?” She asked him with a frown of confusion.

“I can move metal, any metal.” Erik said. He watched her expression go from confusion to wonder and she smiled up at him. “Aren’t you frightened?”

“Why would I be frightened? Erik that’s wonderful, such a gift.” Charlie said with a smile. 

“You...you are serious.” He said in awe.

“Of course,” she replied. “Why would you think that this is something wrong with you?”

“There are those who would want to use me for their benefit, bad men.” 

“That is why you live alone.” Charlie said as understanding washed over her. “I won’t tell anyone. I swear.”

“I know you won’t.” 

“Why did you show me?”

“Because I wanted you to know.” He looked away and then back at the girl across from him. “For you to know why our night together was a mistake, and why we can not be together.”

“Why can’t we be together?”

“Because of what I am!” He yelled at her with another slam of his hand onto the table.

“You’re a single man and I’m a single woman, I don’t see any differences that should keep us apart.”

“Charlie, you don’t under-”

“I understand perfectly.” She stood suddenly. “I’m going home, but if you finally come to some sense about everything I would like to see you very much.” 

…

The next evening Charlie opened her aunt’s door to find Erik waiting on the porch. Barefoot, she threw herself into his arms finally kissed him after waiting for so long.


End file.
